Occupy Wall Street Has History on Its Side

To many Americans, Occupy Wall Street was a long time coming. On Wall Street, it seems to have been going on for a long time....

Wall Street protests are an American institution, from Father James Cox's Depression-era march on Washington, which I mentioned last week, to the populist movements of the late 19th century, to the Hard Hat Riot of 1970....

But if the history of Wall Street protest is a thread, Occupy Wall Street represents a big knot. Mr. Geisst says there's been no protest of this length on Wall Street. And he believes the protest has exceeded all previous efforts by expanding nationally and internationally. Part of the appeal is Occupy Wall Street's use of social networking and blogging.

"It's the same thing that's been happening in the Middle East," he says.

That part is no accident. Occupy Wall Street is based on the Arab Spring model. Occupy Wall Street hasn't come close to overthrowing a government, of course, but it likely has accomplished more than any other protest in the rich history of demonstrations at Wall and Broad streets....